Nila Kumara, a senior at Scottsdale Preparatory Academy, earned a perfect score on the ACT, the Scottsdale Independent reported Oct. 28.

The score alone would be notable. Kumara pulled it off while competing in three varsity sports, serving in multiple student leadership roles and logging more than 190 volunteer hours with the Scottsdale Public Library, the Independent reported.

Kumara credited the school's accelerated math curriculum with giving her a head start on the material.

"Scottsdale Prep allowed me to be accelerated in math, so I was able to move up one year in my math courses, which allowed me to cover all the material way in advance before my testing," Kumara told the Independent.

She also put in focused work on her own. "A lot of preparation outside of school, sitting at home the two weeks before the test and cramming in on the questions that I kept getting wrong on the practice test," she said.

Kumara is also Scottsdale Prep's National Merit Semifinalist this year, according to a school announcement published Oct. 20.

National Merit Semifinalists represent less than 1% of the nation's graduating high school seniors, the school said. Kumara is completing the application process to be considered for National Merit Finalist designation.

Four other Scottsdale Prep students earned National Merit Commended Student recognition, placing them among the top 3–4% of students who took the PSAT/NMSQT: Andrew Connolly, Lucy Hill, Adison Leeuwner and Sitara Thulasidas.

Scottsdale Prep, a Great Hearts academy on North 92nd Street serving grades 6-12, has produced back-to-back perfect ACT scorers. Senior Atish Bala earned a perfect score during the 2024–25 school year, according to a school profile published in October 2025. Bala also credited the school's academics, saying its Latin courses and math classes prepared him well.

The school's Class of 2025 graduates earned $10 million in merit scholarships and posted an average SAT score of 1,341, according to the school's website.

Kumara's volunteer work came through the Scottsdale Public Library's Teen Volunteer program, which offers students ages 14–17 documented hours during a school-year session running September through May and a summer session in June and July. Teens interested in the program can find details at scottsdalelibrary.org.